Modern enterprises such as merchants, banks, insurance companies, telecommunications companies, and payments companies are susceptible to many forms of fraud. One example of fraud that is particularly pernicious is credit card fraud. With credit card fraud, a fraudster fraudulently uses a credit card or credit card credentials (name, expiration, etc.) of another to enter into a transaction for goods or services with a merchant. The merchant provides the goods or services, but since the transaction is with the fraudster the merchant runs the risk of not getting paid.
Unfortunately, the process of detecting an instance of credit card fraud committed with a particular credit card may take months after the date of transaction. For example, the credit card holder must detect the fraudulent transaction and notify the credit card company that issued the credit card. The credit card company must then process the notification and report that the credit card in question is compromised by sending a fraud report to merchants. During that time a fraudster may perpetrate further instances of credit card fraud with said credit card.
Another example of fraud that is very difficult for merchants, particularly large merchants, to detect, if at all, occurs in the job application process where an applicant has been designated as undesirable in the past—perhaps as a result of having been fired from the employ of the merchant at one location or for failing a criminal background check—fraudulently assumes a different identity and then applies for a job with the same merchant at a different location. In such cases, failure to detect the fraud could result in the rehiring of the fraudster to the detriment of the merchant. If the fraudster has assumed a new identity, background checks based on identity factors such as names or social security numbers become essentially useless. For example consider that case of a large chain store, such as, for example, Walmart. In this case, an employee can be terminated for say theft at one location, but then rehired under a different identity at another location. The employee represents a grave security risk to the company particularly since the employee, being familiar with the company's systems and internal procedures will be able to engage in further conduct injurious to the company.